Yummeh Cinnabuns!

Do you like cinnamon buns/rolls? My husband buys one almost every week.

These buns were crusty, but soft on the inside. The frosting was creamy, slightly cheesy and not so sweet. The cinnamon wasnt strong, but identifiable. The balance of sweetness, spiciness, chewiness, creaminess and crunchiness was heavenly.
And the best part was that I made them myself! :D

nak resepi? You want the recipe?
nak ke? You want?
betul? really?

tee hee.

At my husband's favourite cinnamon roll store, they cost SR9 each. So i decided to g00gle for the recipe and I found one that claims to be closest to the brand my husband likes. I bought the required ingredients, omitted and substituted those that I could not find, and tried it out.
I am SO SO SO *SO* proud of myself. Can you tell?
tee hee *giggles with glee* tee hee.

This is the first time I've worked with yeast. This is the first time I used the dough hook on my mixer. This is the first time I've made anything that requires this many steps.
So forgive me if I'm a little bit smug about it.
tee hee *giggles*
The recipe is abit long, because there are many steps to it, but when you start making it, you'll see that it is really not that difficult to make. The kneading was a bit of work (unless you have a bread maker), but the end result is oh so worth it. It turned out so yummy even *I* was suprised.
I am presenting my modified recipe, with the suggested steps.
(Please note I don't have a kitchen scale, so I depend solely on my measuring cup and eyeballs.)

Cinnamon buns

Make Cream cheese frosting
Can be made in advance and kept refrigerated. I kept mine in a squeeze bottle for easy application.

150grams cream cheese (3/4 of the 200gram pack)
100grams butter (1 stick)
1 1/2 cups icing sugar (sifted to remove lumps)
1 tsp vanilla essence

- Soften cheese and butter to room temperature. Whip till well mixed and light.
- Add 1 cup of sugar and whip for a minute, add the rest and whip for another minute.
- Add vanilla and whip till white and fluffy.

Make Cinnamon filling
Can be made in advance and kept in an airtight container in a cool dry place.

Mix well:
1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
2 heaped tablespoons ground cinnamon

Make dough

1 cup milk
1/4 cup water
100grams butter (1 stick)
2 tbsp yeast (I used SAF)
2 eggs (medium)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup caster sugar
4.5 to 5 cups all purpose flour (may vary depending on brand)

- In a saucepan, gently heat up milk, water and butter till butter melts.
- Take off of heat, let cool till liquid feels warm, then stir in the yeast till thoroughly dissolved.
- Pour the liquid into a mixing bowl, add in eggs, vanilla, salt and sugar. Mix well with a whisk.
- If using a mixer, use your dough hook to mix in the flour bit by bit. Alternatively you can also mix by hand.
- Once mixture gets really thick (usually by the time you add 4 cups of flour), start kneading in the rest of the flour by hand, bit by bit, until dough does not stick to hands or bowl.
- Stop adding flour and continue kneading by hand until dough becomes soft.

Make Rolls

100grams butter (1 stick) softened.

- Roll out the dough into a rectangle about half and inch thick.
- Use a rubber spatula to spread the butter evenly on the rectangle, except for the last 1 inch (on the long side) closest to you. The unbuttered edge will be used as a seal.
- Sprinkle the cinnamon filling on the buttered part of the dough, as evenly as possible.
- Roll up the dough as tightly as possible starting from the longest edge furthest to you, rolling towards you. Roll up completely and keep the unbuttered edge on the bottom to seal the dough.
- Use a really sharp knife, or thread, or dental floss, to trim off the uneven ends and then cut the long roll into even sized smaller rolls. (Use a ruler or some kind of guide lah.. I just eyeballed it).
- Arrange buns flat, about one inch apart from each other, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Cover with a clean lint-free cloth and let rise in a warm , non-drafty place for at least an hour till they double in size. While you wait, pre-heat oven to 325 deg Farenhite.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until lightly browned. (buns will expand while baking)

Assemble CinnaBuns

- While buns are still warm, spread with or squeeze on cream cheese frosting.
- Sprinkle with chopped roasted walnuts if you like (I like!)

Eat!

Note:
You need 3 sticks of 100grams butter in total. Take it out of the fridge well in advance to soften them.
I divided my dough into two instead of making one huge roll.
You could of course add or reduce the amount of sugar used in the recipe to your liking. I don't like mine to be too sweet, so the recipe here is the reduced version.

I know, the recipe looks daunting, but think about it - If a first-timer like me could make this, anyone can! :D
I've showed you mine, now show me yours!

p/s Lollies, you want this to be on your holiday menu? ;)